‘Critical’ time to discuss antisemitism

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This article was published 16/10/2023 (1039 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — The Israel-Hamas war gives having conversations about antisemitism “a sense of urgency,” people attending a national conference on the topic say.

The two-day event — Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It Conference — began in Ottawa on Monday morning.

Steven Kroft, a Winnipegger and national vice-chairman for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said the war between Israel and Hamas gives the conference “new meaning and a greater sense of urgency.”

Jews make up less than one per cent of Canada’s population but are targets of about 55 per cent of all religious hate crimes, he said.

“Bringing Jews and others from across Canada together to develop a collective path forward in our fight against antisemitism is so critically important,” he said. “If we don’t stand up and fight for ourselves, who will?”

Laia Shpeller, a Winnipegger studying biomedical engineering at the University of British Columbia, said the conference is an opportunity to “engage in meaningful discussions about being Jewish in Canada and how our community can work together.”

As a young adult, she thinks it’s important to have young voices at the conference because they can “bring a unique perspective due to our willingness to challenge norms.”

The event had been planned long before the current conflict began on Oct. 7, but Shpeller said the increase in antisemitic rhetoric and actions since then “makes having these conversations right now even more critical.”

Rob Berkowitz, executive director of Winnipeg’s Rady Jewish Community Centre, said the conference is a way to “educate myself on how to best support my staff and volunteers.”

Antisemitism “creates a feeling of isolation and vulnerability, so it is important to learn strategies to manage and support these emotions,” he said.

Berkowitz said he hopes to have “a better understanding why antisemitism persists and to develop an improved skill set to combat its rise in my local community.”

The conference is sponsored by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, with support from Jewish federations across Canada, including Winnipeg’s.

Conference participants will hear speakers on various topics and fan out to visit politicians on Parliament Hill, asking them to undertake a national campaign to promote social-media literacy.

Some speakers from Israel are unable to attend because of the ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, Deborah Lyons has been named the new special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism. The announcement was made by government House leader Karina Gould, who noted how many members of the Jewish community in Canada are “hurt and anxious” while, at the same time, acknowledging the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

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Lyons, the former Canadian Ambassador to Israel from 2016-20, acknowledged she is taking on the role “at a most critical time.”

She said she looks forward to working with Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special representative on combating Islamophobia.

When asked what she, as a non-Jew, could bring to the special envoy role, Lyons said she would bring “the Canadian way” of “fighting for one another and supporting each other,” especially in “these difficult times.”

Lyons also served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Afghanistan, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan from 2020-22 and as Canadian Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from 2013–16.

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John Longhurst
Faith columnist & reporter

John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News.

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